Downers Grove inks three-year deal with firefighters

Downers Grove's firefighters are set to receive salary bumps in each of the next three years, according to the terms of a new contract.

Village council members voted 5-1 on Aug. 5 to approve the agreement, which stipulates base salary raises of 3 percent this year, 2 percent in 2015, and 1 percent in 2016.

"The management side maintained a lot of their management rights, and the employees also maintained a lot of their employee rights," Commissioner Geoff Neustadt said.

The firefighters' union ratified the contract on July 24 by an overwhelming majority, according to union President Rob Pekelder. The union represents 70 full-time firefighters, paramedics, engineers, lieutenants, captains and the director of emergency medical services.

"We thought we had a good contract when we started," Pekelder said, noting that many of the provisions have remained similar. "We have had nothing but a non-adversarial negotiating relationship with village. Our attitudes going into it were to get it right, not get it fast. If it took a couple of extra months as it did, that was fine with us."

The percentage increases apply across the same experience levels. For example, a starting firefighter/paramedic will receive a salary of $65,701, a 3 percent increase from last year's pay of $63,787. That rate will increase to $67,685 in 2016, according to contract documents.

Pierce Downer was the first settler in Downers Grove, arriving in 1832, according to the local historical society. It had a population of about 500 by 1885, but now has more than 48,000 people. Take a look through the Chicago Tribune archives for some classic photos from the village. Submit your own photos of Downers Grove here. (Chicago Tribune photographers)

But actual percentage increases for employees will be significantly higher as they progress through steps in accordance with their years of service. There are seven steps, for those hired after May 1, 2011. So a firefighter/paramedic with two years of experience, for example, will be paid $73,439 this year and $79,196 in 2015, a 7.8 percent raise.

The salary scales vary slightly for employees who joined the department before May 2011, in part because hiring practices differed and there are some firefighters on staff who are not also certified paramedics, Deputy Village Manager Michael Baker said.

A firefighter now with four years experience with the village, for example, will earn $81,717 this year, up from $79,337. A firefighter/paramedic with four years of service will earn $86,621 up from $84,098.

All union members who reach the end of the set salary ranges will be eligible for one-time bonuses between $750 and $1,500 during the life of the contract, depending on their level of experience.

Union members are prohibited from endorsing or participating in any type of strike, the contract states.

Resident Bill Wrobel questioned the nature of the negotiations, saying that he wanted to be sure that village officials had done everything in their power to ensure that they did not promise unreasonable raises.

"Police, fire and teachers are privileged in that they have a secure job with a more than adequate wage," Wrobel said. "So I take issue with spending public funds without bargaining to the highest degree."

Mayor Martin T. Tully said that collective bargaining negotiations by nature were compromises among all the parties involved, and other council members said they supported the process.

"All of us up here do take very seriously our responsibility to make sure that we're spending our tax dollars as efficiently as possible," Commissioner Greg Hosé said. "When it comes to costs that we can control, we are holding the line here in Downers Grove."

Commissioner Bob Barnett, who voted no, also agreed that both sides negotiated diligently. Still, he refused to endorse this contract, mirroring his opposition to other collective bargaining agreements for police officers, emergency dispatchers and public works employees over the past two years.

"Once again, we've put into our contract conditions that commit our residents to pay for pay increases with no recourse if the economy tanks," Barnett said. "Basically our only way out of this would be to fire people."

Commissioner Sean P. Durkin was absent, putting the vote at 5-1.

The contract is backdated to May, so the 3 percent raise union members would have received over the past three months will provided in lump sums in an upcoming paycheck, Baker said. Subsequent raises will go into effect in May of each year.